Agenda Item Report to Lead Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment Date 25 June 2007 Report By Director of Transport and Environment Title of Report Revised policy for the introduction of local speed limits Purpose of Report To seek approval to amendments to the policy for setting local speed limits RECOMMENDATION: That Policy Summary PS4/2, as set out in Appendix 3 to this report, be approved. 1. Financial Appraisal 1.1 There are no specific financial implications in respect of the recommendations detailed in this report. 2. Supporting Information 2.1 In August 2006 the Department for Transport published Circular Roads 1/06, ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’, which supersedes all previous guidance on this subject. The guidance gives local authorities more flexibility when considering the need to introduce local speed limits, and advocates the introduction of 30 mph as being the norm in villages where appropriate. 2.2 In December 2006 the County Council forwarded an issues paper to all district and parish councils and local County Members, along with a questionnaire which highlighted the requirements placed upon the highway authority when introducing speed limits, and considered the implications of changes in speed limits. The issues paper is contained in Appendix 1. 2.3 The results of the questionnaire and the comments received are presented in Appendix 2. 2.4 The proposed changes to the speed limit policy were presented to parish councils at the Road Safety Conference held at Uckfield Civic Centre on 4 April 2007. Parish councils had a further four weeks following the conference to make representations on the proposed changes to policy on speed limits and traffic calming. No further comments have been received. 3. Review of Speed Limits on the A and B Road Network 3.1 Traffic authorities are required to review the speed limits on all of their A and B roads, and implement any identified changes by 2011, with the aim of reducing the number and severity of accidents on the strategic road network. 3.2 The principle of the review is to consider sections of road taking into account the accident rate, nature of the road, and traffic flow. The intervention levels recommended in Circular Roads 01/06, in terms of accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres is 35 for upper tier A and B roads, and 60 for lower tier and unclassified roads. 3.3 These intervention levels, when considered against the nature of the A and B road network within Sussex, are considered slightly low, and work carried out to date would suggest that for upper tier roads an accident rate of 45 would be more appropriate. This figure represents a value which is approximately twice the national accident rate for rural A class roads and has the support of Sussex Police. As our policy for setting speed limits is intended to cover both East and West Sussex, it has been agreed with West Sussex County Council that we will work together on our review of A and B roads, and review this particular intervention level in 12 months time. 3.4 No additional government funding has been allocated to undertake the review and implementation of speed limit changes on the A and B road network, and the cost will be met from the existing Local Transport Plan settlement for Local Safety Schemes and Minor Works. 4. Conclusion and Reason for Recommendation 4.1 The recommended revisions to the policy on setting local speed limits have taken into account the changes recommended in Circular Roads 01/06 Setting Local Speed Limits and will ensure that the introduction of appropriate speed limits will contribute to casualty reduction targets whilst reducing the chance of raising unrealistic expectations among local residents. RUPERT CLUBB Director of Transport and Environment 13 JUNE 2007 LMTE: 19 JUNE 2007 – SPEED LIMIT POLICY Contact Officer: Bryn Kemp Tel. No. 01273 482106 Local Member: All BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS Circular Roads 01/06, Setting Local Speed Limits Appendix 1 Setting Local Speed Limits DfT Circular 01/2006 Issues to be addressed in formulating a new policy Setting Local Speed Limits DfT Circular 01/2006 Issues to be addressed in formulating a new policy December 2006 Setting Local Speed Limits DfT Circular 01/2006 Issues to be addressed in formulating a new policy Background Key Issues • Do we need to be guided by communities • Do buffer speed limits help with the reduction of vehicle speeds in village centres • Do we need repeater signs for speed limits • What are the national speed limits A and B Class Roads Assessment • Setting Local Speed Limits on Single Carriageway Roads • Review of A and B Class Roads • Prioritizing A and B Class Roads Village Speed Limits • Character of Sussex • Village definition • Frontage Development Assessment Setting Speed Limits • Underlying Principles • Traffic Calming • Prioritizing speed limit review in villages Appendix • Priority list for A and B Class Roads • Village / Settlement by parish Background Traffic authorities are required to set ‘local speed limits’ in situations where local needs and considerations deem it desirable for drivers to adopt a speed which is different from the national speed limit. The limit should be self-explanatory and seek to reinforce people’s assessment of what is a safe speed to travel, but without being seen as a target speed at which to drive in all circumstances. Key Issues Do we need to be guided by communities? The introduction of reduced speed limits is not seen by all parish councils as universally desirable; some feel that speeding is not a sufficient local problem to justify the visual intrusion that would result from the introduction of the necessary signs. Others believe that only the centre of a village should have the lower limit as a long length of continuous limit can reduce the impact of its message to drivers at the location where it is most needed. Do buffer speed limits help with the reduction of vehicle speeds in village centres? The introduction of buffer speed limits in villages is seen by many as sensible a way of achieving better compliance with lower speed limits in the centre of villages. Where used they should help in reflecting the gradually changing environment and road character as you enter a village and assist in encouraging drivers to drive more slowly. Do we need repeater signs for speed limits? The guidance has not changed on signing speed limits and most speed limits above 30 mph other than the national speed limits requires the introduction of repeater signs to act as a reminder to drivers. Under current legislation the use of repeater signs is prohibited on roads subject to a 30 mph speed limit that have a system of street lighting. This is because the presence of the lights themselves is an indication of the limit. However, it means that if, for example, an existing 40 mph limit on a road with lighting is reduced to 30 mph, repeater signs would not be allowed and the existing 40 mph repeaters would be removed and not replaced. What are the national speed limits? The speed limits are not the same for all vehicles and are dependent on the type of vehicle. Advice on speed limits are set out in the Highway Code and a table has been reproduced from the Highway Code which sets out the national speed limits for different types of vehicle. Speed Limits Built-up Elsewhere Motorways Areas* Single Dual carriage- carriage- ways ways Type of vehicle MPH MPH MPH MPH Cars and motorcycles (including car derived vans 30 60 70 70 up to 2 tonnes maximum laden weight) Cars towing caravans or trailers 30 50 60 60 (including car derived vans and motorcycles) Buses and coaches (not exceeding 12 metres 30 50 60 70 in overall length) Goods vehicles (not exceeding 7.5 tonnes 30 50 60 70+ maximum laden weight) Goods vehicles (exceeding 7.5 tonnes 30 40 50 60 maximum laden weight) These are the national speed limits and apply to all roads unless signs show otherwise * The 30 mph limit applies to all traffic on all roads in England and Wales (only Class C and unclassified roads in Scotland) with street lighting unless signs show Aotherwise) and B Class Roads Assessment A and B Class Roads Assessment Setting local speed limits on rural single carriageway roads Under the new guidance roads are categorised into two tiers, based on their function: • Upper tier – roads catering primarily for through traffic, typically the A and B class network. The appropriate limit is likely to be 50 or 60 mph. • Lower tier – roads providing a local or access function, typically the C class and Unclassified network. The limit is likely to be 40 or 50 mph. In villages 30 mph is recommended as the norm, where appropriate, for both tiers. An assessment framework has been developed by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and is based on the presumption that single carriageway rural roads should operate at speeds that give the minimum total cost taking safety, mobility and environmental impact in to account. Within the two tiers accident rates should generally be used to help decide whether a higher or lower speed limit is appropriate. The guidance sets the following accident threshold levels: • Upper tier – 35 injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres • Lower tier – 60 injury accidents per 100 million vehicle kilometres The assessment framework works on the basis that the choice of speed limit should be guided by whether the accident rate on a section of road is above or below the appropriate threshold. It is necessary to consider accident remedial measures for identified accident sites before considering the modification of speed limits.